Why You Should Register Your Sheep

The Jacob sheep in the United States has been classified as a rare breed by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy (albc-usa.org). This means that the number of registrations per year in the US totals less than 1000. The number of sheep registered in the US in ten years is only about 4000. This breed is in need of conservation in order to survive.

For a thriving breed, we need to be sure that at least 200 annual registrations of progeny tested animals or their offspring add to the gene pool. To reach these goals, each of us can be a conservator. Neither the JSC nor its board can accomplish conservation. It is only by the efforts of the breeders that this can be accomplished. Only registered sheep are able to contribute to the conservation effort.

Registration of your animals accomplishes these things:

• Your sheep are part of the history of the breed in the US
• Other breeders can find you through the organization and therefore add to their own gene pool by acquiring your flock’s carefully guarded genetics
• Sheep that are not registered are lost to the breed.
• Only with large numbers of sheep, and data about them, can we further our understanding of the Jacob and its characteristics and breed parameters.
• Records are critical to be able to trace pedigrees so breeders can make intelligent breeding and culling decisions. Pedigrees, flock books, and records of Jacob traits are necessary to do this.